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A name for extra fine face powder Face or hair powder in Italian sounds “cipria”. The Italian word evokes the island of Cyprus where Venus, the goddess of love, came from. In Venice, Cyprus was [...]

Perfume in Venice has ancient and exotic roots The story of perfume in Venice started around a thousand years ago thanks to a Greek byzantine lady, Maria Argyropoulos. St. Peter Damian described [...]

Safet Zec and his Venetian studio in Castello Safet Zec works in Venice and Sarajevo. His studio in Venice is large and beautifully illuminated by skylights and has an interesting location. It [...]

David Dalla Venezia and his atelier in Venice It was some rainy afternoon in November a few years ago when David Dalla Venezia showed his atelier in Venice to my small group of teen-agers. I [...]

Meeting with Leonardo D’Este in Venice The first time I met with Leonardo D’Este, he was not there, but there were his paintings and they deeply struck my attention. His intense portraits [...]

How the Accademia Gallery in Venice was born The year the Accademia gallery in Venice was born was devastating. In 1807 Napoleon’s troops looted the city. Guilds and brotherhoods were closed down [...]

Venice as land sounds like an oxymoron. But there was a time when the traditional source of income for the city, i.e., commerce with the East, was no longer considered promising. Instead, filling [...]

The zucchini jam from the orchards of the Venetian island of Sant’Erasmo is really sweet and tasty. After I left the Maravegia orchard, our shopping bag was full of colours and great scents. [...]

I watch the birds migrating in the sky across the Venetian lagoon. In the horizon the Dolomites are all blue, just like in Titian’s paintings or Cima da Conegliano’s. I simply find it moving. And [...]

Weaving a story about silk velvet in Venice has been a fascinating experience. So much involved. Technology, inventiveness, courage and challenges. And emotions. Weaving is… rhythm and sounds In [...]